Late last week, Raymond Moore – the tournament director and chief executive officer of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament – made comments about the Women’s Tennis Association that were pretty offensive.
Moore said, “In my next life, when I come back I want to be someone in the WTA because they ride on the coattails of the men,” he said. “They don’t make any decisions and they are lucky. They are very very lucky.
“If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born because they have carried this sport. They really have.”
Moore also referred to certain professional female players as “physically attractive” and “competitively attractive.” Well, looks as if Raymond might have to get on his knees for his next job, Monday it was announced that he was stepping down in the wake of his controversial comments.
The move was announced late Monday night in a three-paragraph statement from the tournament’s owner Larry Ellison.
“Earlier today I had the opportunity to speak with Raymond Moore,” said Ellison in the statement. “Ray let me know that he has decided to step down from his roles as CEO and Tournament Director effective immediately. I fully understand his decision.
Serena Williams handled Moore’s comments with just the right mix of class and “quit playing yo”
photo via LA Times
